October 15, 2008

HealthGrades posts 2009 hospital rankings

HealthGrades, a leader in the field of health care quality measurement, has just published new rankings for hospitals across the country.

The Colorado firm uses an intuitive, consumer-friendly approach: Medical centers get one, three or five stars based on how many patients develop complications and die after receiving treatment.

One star represents a poor performance; three stars stands for “as expected,” a figure based on other institutions’ experience; five stars goes to the very best performers.

The rankings are based on three years of data (2005 to 2007) from Medicare and are adjusted to account for how sick the hospital’s patients are.

To compile the ratings, HealthGrade analyzes tens of millions of Medicare claims. Some experts don’t believe these “claims data” are adequate to make determinations about the quality of care; instead, they suggest, such conclusions should be based on information drawn from medical records.

Consumers can look up the HealthGrade rankings by state and by condition. (Included are back and neck surgery, coronary bypass surgery, prostate surgery, angioplasty, respiratory failure and more.) The information is free on the company’s Web site, www.healthgrades.com.

For purposes of this post, I’ll look at what’s listed under the "total hip replacement" category. Since I’m downtown, I’ll click on the data for "Chicago central area." (The statewide data is broken down by region and the Chicago data is divided up, geographically, as well.)

Only three medical centers in the area get a five-star rating for the procedure: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Rush University Medical Center and Advocate Trinity Hospital. All the others get three stars.

If I were having a hip replacement and my doctor recommended I have the operation at one of those three-star hospitals, I’d ask why he or she chose that medical center over other institutions.

That’s what this information is really good for – helping patients have these kinds of conversations with physicians.

For consumers, the important message is that there are real differences between medical centers in terms of how well patients fare when they’re having a heart attack or a stroke or when they’re admitted with heart failure or pneumonia.

So, do your homework. Find out what information is available about the surgeon who’s doing your operation (how many procedures does he or she do each year?) and the hospital where he or she practices. (For previous posts on data about health care quality, click here. Another source of information is the Medicare Compare information published by the government.)

Overall, HealthGrades says patients have a 70 percent lower chance of dying in a five-star hospital compared with a hospital with a one-star ranking. The finding is featured in a new report, published on Tuesday.

Chicagoans are lucky, according to the study. Almost 60 percent of the hospitals in the metro area are counted among the top 15 percent of hospitals in the nation, HealthGrades’ analysis found.

Areas of particularly strong performance by Chicago hospitals (judged by fewer patients who die and who have serious complications) include treatment of patients with heart failure, pulmonary conditions, stroke, and gastrointestinal conditions, as well as those in need of critical care.

HEALTHGRADES IS A SCAM!!! I COMPLAINED ABOUT A DOCTOR THAT LET ME COOK IN A HOSPITAL ROOM FOR 28 HOURS WITH A BURST APPENDIX AND IT SAID THAT I DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTIONS... I ANSWERED NEGATIVE TO EVERY ONE AND IT SAID THAT I ANSWERED THEM FAVORABLY WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP!!!

Health Grades has to be the biggest rip-off of any medical ratings site on the net! Whether you're trying to research a physician, medical center or hospital ... or whether you're simply trying to provide your input on any of them --- the site is UNRELIABLE !!!!!! If you're considering using Health Grades, as they say "Caveat Emptor" ... or "Let the Buyer Beware!!"

I have had a bad experience with this company as well. I actually had to get a new debit card to keep them from charging me $9.95 a month for updates. On top of that the information that they provide is very generic.

Anyone who is interested in this topic NEEDS to read the details found in that report above from Sham vs. Wham, which Yair posted as http://shamvswham.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-experience-with-healthgrades-reports.html. I discovered in that report that my card was going to be "ding'd" for these small nibbling amounts that often I overlook. Sure enough, I knew what to look for and I caught those people at HealthGrades "dipping" into my wallet!

HA! Unreal! These guys really are a bunch of scammers! I just so happened to read the full e-mail receipt they sent me (I knowingly purchased a report on a doctor I could have gotten for free!), but the worst is that I turned down their "watchdog service" at healthgrades.com when I was buying. I SAID "NO THANKS".

So what's on my receipt:
Please access your order by going to www.healthgrades.com and clicking on 'Log In' in the top-right of the page.
You will need to login to be able to access your report as well as other FREE registered-user features.
A complimentary 14-day free trial of Watchdog Notification Service has been included with your order.
With Watchdog Notification Service, you will be able to monito any changes to your doctor's information,
including: sanctions, patient ratings, and certifications. If you do not cancel this subscription within
14 days, your credit card will be billed a monthly fee of $9.95 (plus applicable taxes). To cancel your watchdog subscription....

I requested a health grades report and they ended up putting a rucurring charge on my credit card for over a year for it. I never authorized this but acc to the credit co they can do this if the fine print says I have to specifically cancel the charge else it'll automatically charnge to a recurring charge. I've paid them over $500 for no information

About this blog

Getting the medical care you need isn't easy. Resources can be hard to find. Weighing the costs and benefits of proposed interventions can be difficult. Choosing a doctor or a hospital, negotiating with your insurer, staying on top of treatment trends, getting the best care possible -- all these can be nerve-wracking. This blog will bring you useful information, connect you with important resources and highlight the stories of other people like you.